An East Anglian MEP believes 'extremist' MPs will 'infiltrate' the House of Commons and demand Sharia Law.

Stuart Agnew made the comments as he explained why he was backing controversial UKIP leadership candidate Anne Marie Waters.

Ms Waters has called Islam 'evil' and helped launch a British branch of German anti-Islam movement PEGIDA with notorious former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson.

Mr Agnew was chosen as Ms Waters running mate in the summer and at the time referred to her as a 'Joan of Arc' figure who was not afraid to address 'difficult subjects' like extremists.

He said: 'Soon there will be extremist MPs who infiltrate the House of Commons and before long we have members of parliament demanding Sharia Law for their constituency. I am not going to put a time limit on it but it will happen if we ignore this issue.

'This is a kind of colonisation of Britain. I for one am not willing to sit back and allow that to happen. I have nothing to lose now. I am coming to the end of my career and that allows me to speak out a bit.

'Anne Marie is a special woman and a special candidate. She has such conviction. She is not afraid to talk about difficult subjects – subjects that some people shy away from.

'Not long ago wanting to leave the European Union was seen as an extremist view. A shift is coming.'

But Sirajul Islam, general secretary of the East Anglian Bangladeshi Islamic Centre, said Mr Agnew was using scare tactics to score political points.

'This is simply someone trying to make political gain. It is as simple as that,' he said. 'What we are trying to do is reach out to the community and be a part of it.

'There is far more that unites us than does not – far more commonality. Being a Muslim is about looking after your fellow people. It is the main point of any religion and Islam is no different.

'We are British Muslims and we abide by the laws of this land. The best thing to do is ignore comments like these and continue to work hard at looking after one another and bringing people together.'

The new UKIP leader will be announced on September 29 during the party's annual conference.